Albanian police fire tear gas at protesters as Education Ministry attacked

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkStudents clash with riot police during a protest in Tirana as hundreds rallied on Tuesday to demand the resignation of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and better education [AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and ReutersPublished On 13 Oct 202613 Oct 2026Albanian riot police have fired tear gas and water cannons at hundreds of student demonstrators protesting over education and social conditions in the capital Tirana.Protesters hurled bricks and concrete blocks at the Education Ministry on Tuesday, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Dozens of journalists in India detained while covering anti-gov’t protestslist 2 of 3Global pro-Palestinian protests one year after Gaza ‘ceasefire’list 3 of 3Photos: French protests over school conditions swellend of listStudent organisers said the protest was over conditions at universities, higher education costs, financial support and employment prospects after graduation.Hooded men try to break through a gate at the Education Ministry as the Albanian word “Resign” is displayed on a wall during clashes in Tirana, Albania on Tuesday [Hameraldi Agolli/AP Photo]At least six officers and one female journalist were injured, according to a statement by police, and 23 people were arrested.Police called on the protesters to stop attacking the ministry, but some attendees continued to assault officers with Molotov cocktails, firecrackers, stones and other hard objects, the statement said.Protesters said they wanted to express frustration with inequality and government economic policies.“What Albania needs is a revolution, a change, a complete overthrow of the system because it can’t go on like this,” protester Luljeta Kola said. She added that there was a deep social divide between the rich and the poor in the country.A riot police officer detains an injured protester during clashes near the Ministry of Education in Tirana, Albania, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026 [Hameraldi Agolli/AP]Albania’s Deputy Prime Minister Albana Kociu wrote on Facebook: “Violence has not been, is not, and will never be a solution. Throwing stones, attacking institutions and the state police, as well as the senseless destruction of public property, are not how youth should express themselves.”The Albanian capital has seen a series of anti-government protests since May, sparked by a luxury tourism project linked to US President Donald Trump’s family.The project has fuelled anger over alleged corruption and a lack of transparency, with protesters demanding Rama’s resignation.Protesters set fire to a barricade during clashes near the Education Ministry in the capital Tirana on Tuesday [Hameraldi Agolli/AP Photo]Students echoed those demands but told local media that Tuesday’s rally also aimed to decry university conditions, tuition fees and a lack of support for young people.“Problems are not solved by pretending they do not exist. Students have questions, demands and plenty of reasons to be heard,” one of the organisers said on Instagram.